How to Create a Solid Business Plan...

A business plan is vital when it comes to starting up a successful company. Some people try to skip this step and jump right into starting the business - but if you fail to prepare, you are preparing to fail. A business plan clarifies your goals, and ensures that you don’t miss anything out. It is also highly likely that you will need to show your business plans to your lender (if you need one) and also to get a license.

How to utilise your customers’ increased smartphone use to your advantage..

Smartphones are the new enablers of sharp, savvy customers. Customers are now using their smartphones to carry out real time research to track down the right product or service, at the right price, and at the right place. The question is, is your business prepared for them?

How to increase Customer Loyalty through SMS Marketing

Mobile phones are becoming increasingly more sophisticated, and therefore businesses need to be aware of the massive marketing opportunity that the mobile phone has to offer. Mobile phones have become, not just a communications device, but a personal hub of information; something the consumer has on them at all times, and that they use for pretty much everything. 4 in 5 smartphone users will not leave the house without their handset.

How to Shine in a Meeting....

Do you have a work meeting coming up? Remember that those who succeed are usually those who stand out. Meetings are a great chance for you to showcase your capabilities and gain positive visibility. Follow these top tips to be the one that shines..

How to select the best mobile phone for your business needs...

Business phones can help you run your business, answer emails and work on documents wherever you are to allow you to be more efficient and more productive than ever. It’s important to ensure you have the best business mobile phone for your needs, as this will enable you to be as proactive and business focused as possible on the move.

How to avoid SPAM, and take advantage of quality Marketing Messages.

Spam texts are a modern problem, pestering us with unwanted adverts and offers, often from dodgy companies. Yet it is possible to fight back, report them and minimise the amount you receive.

The Rise of the Text Message..

Wow, who would have thought it has only been 20 years since the first text message was sent? How did we ever live without them? The first text message was sent on the 3rd of December 1992, when 22 year old British engineer used his computer to wish a Merry Christmas to Richard Jarvis of Vodaphone. The first text messages were free, and could only be sent between people on the same network.

Although text messages started life as a free service – because operators hadn't figured out how to charge for them – it was quickly realised there was money to be made from texting as the number rose dramatically. By February 2001 the UK was sending one billion texts a month, which at the standard 10p-a-text charge meant the business was raking in about £100m a month. There are now a huge array of networks for the consumer to choose from.

The days of letters are long gone, and we can send someone a text message within 10 seconds. As mobile phones became modernised, text language was first brought to life. The early mobile phones only allowed 160-characters, and caused adults to complain that kids that lost the ability to spell correctly with abbreviated words such as 'l8r' and 'b4' being used.

By 2003 exam markers had grown concerned about text language being used in answers; a 13-year-old girl wrote an essay in text shorthand, which said in part: "My smmr hols wr CWOT. B4, we used 2go2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & thr 3 :- kids FTF. ILNY, it's a gr8 plc." (Or in longhand: "My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend and their three (!) kids face to face. I love New York, it's a great place.")

Popular TV programmes such as The X Factor and Britain's got talent began to use SMS as their main source of votes in 2005. Businesses also use text messaging in order to contact their customers, with a success rate higher than email marketing. Nowadays, text messaging is the most popular method of contact for daily communication, with at least 58% of UK adults doing it once a day. 97% of text messages sent will be read straight away and responded to within an hour. Short messages are also emerging onto social network sites, and through companies such as WhatsApp, who allow people to contact each other free when they have their data or Wifi activated. 

However, the text message is still the most popular form of short message, and it’s going nowhere!